Ko Samui, Thailand and Fasting. October 7th -15th, 2008

After a few weeks away from Taiwan visiting my family in the US, I finally got back to Taiwan on Oct. 6th, but my body felt horrible! Months of eating poorly, eating midnight snacks, and then 1AM and then 2AM snacks turned me into a slow, lethargic, slug, only wanting to eat more, and sleep. I knew it was time to clean up my act, and clean up my body!

Every year for the past 7 years, I go to and Island called Ko Samui, on the east cost of Thailand to do a fast at a place called The Spa. I fast for 7 days, drinking only drinks with a non-nutritional, but filling fiber called Psyllium seed husk. Also, no chewing of any kind can occur during this cleansing fast, since chewing stimulates the digestive system, and the purpose of the fast is to give the body a break. The fast also includes washing out (aka: having a colema) the large intestine (colon), twice a day. During the fast, drinks such as coconut water and a clear veggie broth are allowed. I, however, usually do not have these, but only drink water.

During each day of the fast, starting at 7AM, you begin taking the drinks, then taking herbal supplements every hour-and-a-half, until the last drink at 7PM and the last supplements at 8:30PM. By then you are so tired, sleep is welcome, and deep!

My usual day includes about 1-2 hours of sunbathing and swimming- I know- you are saying, “Sun? Never! My beautiful skin will be ruined!” Well, sun exposure is very helpful for the body to produce vitamin D, which helps the body in so many way, including reducing pain! Also, during my time in the sun, in a addition to swimming, I do and some exercises like sit-ups, push-ups and leg-lifts. Later in the afternoon, I almost always have a massage, and then in the evening I go tot eh sauna and steam for 15-30 minutes. After I shower I watch just a little TV, because I’m usually so tired, I just fall asleep.

It may seem impossible that you could survive for 7 days with no food, but you’d be surprised. There’s a rule of 7 that’s helpful to know: 7 minutes without air and the brain will die. 7 days without water and you will most likely die. 7 weeks without food, and you have a good chance of dying. So, 7 days without food, is easy. During my fast this time when I was there, another person was just finishing a 14-day fast!!

One of the by-products of the fast is you lose weight, and I certainly needed that. Before I went, I was around 95kg. That’s more than I have ever weighed in my whole life. I felt horrible, my clothes were uncomfortable, I wasn’t sleeping well, I had no energy, and I had many other discomforts. During the fast, I lost 7kg, and after I returned and started eating more healthily, I continued to lose weight and I’m now down to about 84kg and I’m continuing to gradually lose more and more. Ideally, my weight should be around 78-80kg.

I have to say, the best part of the fast, is actually eating again for the first time, after not eating for so long. It’s amazing how good food tastes. The first ‘meal’ is usually a fresh fruit plate or a special item I have called ‘Guy’s Breakfast- which is fresh papaya and mango with goat yogurt and bee pollen. It is one of the most amazing things to taste after 7 days of no food! Since you eat everyday, you forget about how wonderful food is, and take it for granted. If you can’t really taste your food, you don't care very much how it tastes. This leads many people to begin to eat more and more unhealthily, because the food that tastes ‘best’ to you, is usually the most unhealthy!!!

Coming back to Taiwan after the fast, I continue to eat healthy foods such as salads, and fresh fruit and veggies. Three weeks after returning, I began to have my usual foods and eat more simply prepared fight meats, like chicken and fish. I also have started having drinks again, such as coffee and wine now and then. But, the biggest change is that I have stopped having any cravings for junk food, like I used to. Now I do not eat late-night or even early-night snacks! I feel amazing and I have no intention of letting myself get unhealthy again! Well, at least for a while, hopefully! And if I do, there’s always next year’s fast!